Delta College to fly Progress Pride flag for first time
May 30, 2022
STOCKTON – San Joaquin Delta College will fly the Progress Pride flag for the first time during the month of June, an effort to both celebrate the College’s LGBTQIA+ students and employees while also recognizing that there is still work to be done to stem discrimination in our society.
Delta’s Board of Trustees recently approved a resolution declaring the month of June as Pride Month, and determining that the College will fly the Progress Pride flag for the entirety of the month of June every year.
The first flag-raising will be celebrated at 12 p.m. Wednesday, June 1 in front of the DeRicco Building, on the Pacific Avenue side of campus. The public is welcome to attend.
"The Delta College Pride Coalition, a group of LGBTQIA+ faculty and staff, put together this resolution to celebrate and promote LGBTQIA+ visibility at Delta College," said Professor Kirstyn Russell, co-president of the Coalition. "The Progress Pride flag signals to our LGBTQIA+ students, staff, and faculty that they are valued and a part of the Delta community."
"We are so excited to see the Progress Pride flag fly," said Dr. Melissa Neal, also co-president of the Coalition.
The recent resolution recognizes the movement toward equal rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, etc. (LGBTQIA+) persons, through historic events such as the 1969 Stonewall uprising in New York City which served as a catalyst for the gay rights movement.
At the same time, the resolution acknowledges that only 54 percent of the LGBTQIA+ community lives in states that have hate crime laws covering sexual orientation and gender identity.
Delta College has worked to support students and employees through the establishment of a Pride Center, the College's Pride Coalition, and the designation of gender-neutral bathrooms on campus.
Designed by Daniel Quasar in 2018, the Progress Pride flag is an updated version of the original rainbow flag. It includes additional stripes to represent marginalized LGBTQIA+ communities of color, and those who have suffered from HIV/AIDS.
Flying the Progress Pride flag, Delta’s Board of Trustees found, “further symbolizes the celebration and affirmation of intersectionality, diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.”